Career:

President & CEO, Helping Education (Raleigh and Charlotte, NC) — 2022-present

Promoting educational equity and advancing learning outcomes focused on underserved communities. Served as the President and CEO (board title change from Executive Director) and led a diverse staff of more than 70, headquartered in Raleigh, NC, with a regional office in Charlotte, NC.

• Developed and launched a $15M initiative to reach 50,000 students in 5 years across the state of North Carolina, focused on early childhood development and designed to disrupt high per-student cost structures and barriers to advancing literacy development

• Grew organizational budget from $1.5 to $2.9M in less than 2 years ($4.9M projected in 2024/2025 fiscal year), focusing on aligning organizational structure and strategic priorities to scale the organizational impact across North Carolina (serving Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Guilford, and Wake County school districts, and more than 13 counties through HelpingNC) and expand program impact in New York City

• National Pacesetter Award recognition for our leadership of the WakeTogether initiative in 2023 for WCPSS

• Oversaw high-level day-to-day operations—overall staffing, personnel policies, budget development, financial oversight, and DEI initiatives and policies; Supervision of C-Suite and designated VP-level executives

• Marketing/communications and branding initiatives; rebranded organization to Helping Education in 2023

• Promoted strong organizational culture and employee retention, developed HR team, guided advancement/fundraising, and fulfillment of mission

• Addressed critical areas of organizational growth and development that align resources for impact and sustainability

• Conducted organizational readiness assessment for the board in first 90 days; identified and recommended significant needed corrections across the organization

• Identified and reported significant financial management, organizational, and leadership issues and collaborated with the board to address them with the highest level of attention

• Restructured organization and aligned resources to improve operational efficiencies

• Established internal controls and financial management systems to improve student impact from every dollar raised

• Led season of strategic planning to identify and implement new strategic priorities focused on removing barriers and challenges around the implementation of learning interventions

• Improved organizational culture to bolster employee retention, open up opportunities for upward mobility, and rolled out the organization’s first employee benefits package

• Prioritized a culture of innovation to reinforce deep listening, data analysis, and contextual problem-solving for positive social change

Chief Strategy Officer & Managing Partner, Sustineri Group, Inc. (Seattle, WA) — 2021-2022

Leveraged 25+ years of experience in social innovation/entrepreneurship, serving as the chief strategy officer and managing partner of a full-service consulting firm focused on positive social change.

• Committed to programs that foster entrepreneurship, social impact, place-based development, and centering BIPOC, women, and underserved voices; helped organizations design and implement strategies for long-term social impact

• Nonprofit development, including strategic planning, board development, training, and team collaboration

• Executive coaching, mentoring, and development of team cohesion around programs that foster positive social change 

• Published SUSTAINABLE ENGAGEMENT: Strategic Planning for Positive Social Change (released May 16, 2022); Basis for a strategic approach to sustainability and social impact.

UMC Innovation, Social Justice, and Community Development — 2001-2022

Executive leadership in The United Methodist Church guiding advocacy, social justice initiatives, and positive social change:

Executive Director | Innovation and Vitality (Greater NW Area) — 2015-2022

Headquartered out of Seattle, WA, and a key member of the Greater Northwest Area leadership team (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington). Through the lenses of innovation and entrepreneurship, led a diverse team of directors, associate directors, and coordinators in deepening investments for social change across the Greater Northwest.

• Developed, administered, and managed a $42.7M budgetary grant fund across three regions, which included Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and small parts of Canada

• Responsible for 41 place-based nonprofit projects, including staffing, funding, consulting, and performance monitoring; community collaboration, affordable housing, social enterprise, workforce development, and education support

• Change agent in a large, historical institution—drove organizational alignment, process improvements, and established granting criteria, resulting in a dramatic reduction in project cycle from 24 mos down to 3 mos

• Developed a 5-year funding model and created an evaluation methodology, resulted in funding 35 new community-based nonprofit projects; opened up a recruitment pipeline for national/global leaders

• Translated strategic community empowerment goals into organizational strategy, resulting in 58% of all initiatives led by BIPOC decision makers (53% women) in an organization which is 94% white

• Oversight of large program and team with $3.7M operating budget

• International speaking, consulting, and presentations in Seoul, Korea; Belfast, Ireland; and London, England—topics: innovation/entrepreneurship, metrics, failures/learnings/pivots, and impact

Senior Director, Community Development (Greensboro, NC) — 2007-2015

Elevated marginalized and BIPOC voices and LGBTQIA+ advocacy. Focused on problems of hunger and poverty, homelessness, positive social change, and creating a safe space for multicultural community development.

• Founded CBO to elevate marginalized voices across communities of poverty. Collaborated with the “Poor People’s Campaign” in lobbying events to influence legislation

• Led fastest growing place-based community development project in region; ~$825,000 toward strategic campaigns to fight poverty and empower people of color and LGBTQIA+ communities

• Encouraged collaboration across city council, police department, and regional nonprofits to create political will/stakeholder engagement

• Established funding through large donor cultivation, state, city, and foundation grants

Program Director, Community and Economic Development (Charlotte/Greensboro, NC). — 2001-2007

Launched two CBOs between 2001 and 2007, focused on community development with underserved communities facing several challenges: racism/discrimination, addiction, homelessness, and poverty.

• Community organizing, vital partnership cultivation, and place-based economic development

• Consulted on halfway house development for individuals who suffer from addiction, resourcing staff and residents

• Developed a program in concert with the school district to keep at-risk teens engaged and in school

Chief Executive Officer, iMAGE 500 inc. (Charlotte, NC) — 1995-2003

Founded the company; specialized in design, image marketing/branding, business development, corporate communications, and creating a culture where teams could thrive. Worked with clients such as Bank of America, NASCAR, Husqvarna, R.J. Reynolds, Shop-Vac, M-80 Entertainment, and more. Also focused on multiple startup ventures.

• Branding, public relations, video production, graphic design, sports marketing, and strategy development for communications and progress narratives

• Strategic planning, product development, program implementation, and startup ventures

• Launched M-80 Entertainment, Inc.; developed business plan, team, and procured VC investment funding; technical innovation

• Negotiated distribution channel for innovative technology product (interactive trading card) and personally debuted the product on QVC; held design patent

• Developed innovative promotional product focused on memorization for elementary student learning; supervised rollout, established distribution channels, and branding/marketing; held design patent

• iMAGE 500 inc was the result of a rebranding strategy of Steadman-Gibson Corporate Design, Inc., co-founded in 1989 with a business partner; served as Vice President of Marketing from 1989 to 1995

• Responsible for seven startups ranging from a national restaurant chain to a brand/clothing line to a patented promotional tool — procured VC and angel investor funding, developed business plans/models, and recruited teams

• Most notable startup examples include: Kick Axion® Apparel (1995), the NASCAR Cafe® (1996), M-80 Entertainment, Inc./Power Up™ Trading Cards (2000), and Memory Cross, Inc./MemoryCross® (2008)

Platoon Sergeant, Squad Leader, and Career Planner/Retention (U.S./Intl.) — 1985-1996

Served in the United States Marine Corps and Reserves, joining to pay for college education.

• Graduated boot camp at Paris Island, SC, followed by Infantry Training School, Camp Lejeune, NC

• Served at Camp Lejeune, Twenty-nine Palms, CA, and in Okinawa, Japan

• Veteran of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm

• Served in Operation King’s Guard, Honduras, Central America; received an accommodation from the Honduran Government for exemplary leadership

• Primary MOS, 0311 (Infantry); served as a Squad leader, Platoon Sergeant, and Career Planner: Rifle and Pistol Expert

• Honorable discharge in 1996 from Reserves. Rank: Sergeant (E-5)